I hear there’s a recession, but I’ve decided not to take part

At the end of 2007 I sold two of my companies, vision360 & ezpresenter, to the Cordovan Group, with the new company becoming Cordovan Digital (where I’m currently a Board Director). We’ve had a pretty good year, highest turnover & profits of our previous 10 year history, so I can’t say fairer than that. Of course the coming year will be telling, but I feel positive about it, I work with an amazing bunch of guys (& girls!), whom I have complete confidence in, they work incredibly well together & I’m dedicated to ensuring their futures too.

So how have I prepared for the coming year? Probably not as you’d expect… upon selling the two companies last year I retained a third one, named no paper™, which we’re still developing & planning a major launch of in 2009. Then in November this year I registered two entirely new companies (ID Gator™ & F451 Labs™), plus a forum on Identity issues Your Identity Matters™ (to be launched in April-May), plus two non-profit organisations, Your Small Change™ & I Skipped Lunch™, both of which I’m hoping to change to charity status in 2010. So I shall be entering 2009 with 5 companies under my direct control with an ongoing concern with Cordovan.

Am I being ambitious? Yes
Am I over stretching myself? Probably
Can I do it? Absolutely
Would I have it any other way? No
Am I worried about the recession? No
Am I mad? Ask me in a years time!

So don’t bury your head in the sand and wait for the economic downturn to go away, it won’t, there’ll be winners & losers, either way it’s going to be risky in 2009, but it’s your choice… at least doing it my way I can see the risks ahead of me!